In a key step to tone down opposition criticism over demolition drive on various slum colonies, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Saturday announced that the city's slum dwellers will soon be relocated to 50,000 unused flats and said a comprehensive strategy is being chalked out to construct 10 lakh houses for the poor.
Delhi has been witnessing political heat for some time with AAP targeting the government over its action to bull doze illegal structures which have been hampering development activity in prime locations of the national capital.
With rehabilitation of slum dwellers on mind, CM Gupta inspected more than 1,000 government flats built for the economically weaker sections in northwest Delhi's Sultanpuri and asserted that her government is committed to providing a roof over the head of every slum dweller as envisioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"Our government is committed to ensuring dignified housing and a better life for slum dwellers. In the first phase of this initiative, resettlement will begin through 50,000 flats. The Delhi government is also preparing a comprehensive strategy to meet the demand for 1 million houses," she said.
These efforts are fully aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's resolve of providing 'Housing for Every Poor', she said in a statement.Gupta criticised the previous AAP and Congress governments in the city for "failing" to allot the 50,000 flats that were constructed over the years, leading to their current dilapidated condition.
"Neither the Congress nor the AAP gave these flats to poor people. But now our government will ensure these flats are allotted to slum dwellers after repair. If needed, we will demolish old flats if they cannot be repaired and provide new houses to them," she said.
Inspecting the 1,060 flats in Sultanpuri that were constructed in 2016 under the Jawahar Lal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) at a cost of Rs 64 crore, Gupta directed the officials to repair the flats and provide all basic facilities there.
She said the plan is to relocate slum dwellers living within a two-km periphery of the flats so that they continue to have their means of livelihood.The chief minister was accompanied by local MP Yogender Chandolia and Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood.
"These flats, originally constructed in 2016 for slum rehabilitation with government expenditure running into crores of rupees, have remained unallocated due to the apathy and lack of intent of previous administrations," Gupta told reporters.A similar situation exists with another 50,000 flats that were built in Delhi's outer areas, many of which have deteriorated, and it would require substantial funds to make them habitable, she said.The central government has already sanctioned approximately Rs 732 crore to repair thousands of these flats, she said.
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